Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1887-12-09
PROTECTION DEMANDED.
THE NATIONAL WOOL GROWERS IN
CONFERENCE At WASHINGTON.
a 1renchant Resolutl on the Presi-
dents Message His Platform Violated
How His Policy Would Destroy
this Industry.

NASHINGrON, Dec. At to-day's ses-
sion of the conference of the wool grow
ers and dealers a resolution was unani-
mously adopted declaring the sentiments
of the presidents message are direct
attack upon the wool industry, one of the
most important of the country, and in posi-
tive violation of the national democratic
platform Of 1854 as interpreted by the
party leaders and accepted by the rank and
file of the party; that the argument made
by the president for the rem wal of our
protection against foreign competition is
an old one repeatedly made by the enc
mics Of our industrial progress. 1t has
been effectively answered in nearly every
school district of the land and is so thor
oughly disproved as to need no answer
from us
We acknowledge our "small holdings"
scattered and unorganized condition.
make Us the easy prey of the free trader.
but we had the right to expect something
different from the chief executive OF the
nation, at once the most happy, prosper
Gus and Contented of any of the world
made so by the policy of protection, q de
velopment which he now seeks to destroy.
We had the right to expect our president
United States. We confess deep
disappointment that. instead, he ia
vors the interests of foreign com
petitors. Justly alarmed at the
position we make an appeal from
his recommendations to al the people, TO
the 1,15O, 600 fellow citizens engaged in
agriculture, to 1000 900 engaged in manu-
featuring, to the army of wage earners,
whose wages are maintained by the pro
teCtive system, to the tradesmen and
merchants whose prosperity depends upon
ours, confident OF their judgment that the
decision will be based upon justice and
/ patriotism, and therefore for the main
/ tenance of the American policy of protec
/ ton to which our country is indebted for
/ its uneXampled development and prosper
| ity, to demonstrate the injustice of the
| presidents policy and the tallacy of the
remedy he proposes for the reduction of
the surplus
We point to the fact that if the whole
amount of revenue derived from wool
was abolished, it would reduce the sur
plus only about - 100000 or less, or 10
cents per c9pita OF the popuia-
recommends retained, yield over
S1l9,0OOOOO, direct Tax per cap,ta of 50
each. This is what makes up he great
bulk OF the surplus Sl4O,0 0OO.
We would further add the following
statistics III regard to wool industry :
! The annual revenue derived from the
imports OF wool under the tariff OF 1861
was less tnau 81 ,1O0, 900 under the reduc-
ed tariff OF lSS3 the revenue last year
was over $50Op,O0O. The number Of sheep
/ in the country IN 1854 was 5O626 626, in
/ 1887 A. 759, ,3l4, decrease of nearly 6,000,-
coo. The dimnutiOn of the annual wool
/ product was oyer IS 0O00 900 pounds, thus
/ showing that reducing the tariff by the
acts of 1883 increased the revenue from
| imported woods, diminished the number of
sheep in the United States about l3 per
! ceut and the annual product IN the same
proportion, The presidents policy would
bring about the destruction of this indus
| try. The same policy of reduction or
abolition of the tariff would end IN disas-
! Ter to all other industrial productive en-
terprises OF the country.